Ah, mosquito bites. The bane of not only my existence, but that of most everyone who goes outside during the months of May through September.

If you, like me, chose to forgo putting on a little bug spray (or rubbing your arms and legs with dryer sheets, which works just as well) before spending your Labor Day weekend outside, you could very well appreciate these tips on how to stop those pesky bites from itching in such a way that does not involve scratching your skin off.

I had at least twenty mosquito bites covering my arms and legs at the moment in time during which I wrote this article, making me more than eager to try out some home remedies to relieve the insanity-inducing itching that was seriously affecting my sleep schedule. These are the remedies that worked the best for me:

• Rub the bite with a dry bar of soap. I was a bit skeptical to try this, but the relief was practically instantaneous.
• Hold an ice cube on the bite for as long as you can stand it, preferably on and off for about twenty minutes. Pro tip: if the ice cube has edges you can scratch the bite at the same time. Heavenly.
• Making a paste out of baking soda and warm water and applying it to the affected area works quite well, not only for bee stings, but for bug bites.
• Dab a bit of mouthwash on the bite and let it dry there.
• Rubbing a piece of lemon or lime on the bite will take away the itch. Lemon or lime juice also works just as well.
• If you’re either lazy or lacking in resources, you can use your fingernail to press an X into the mosquito bite, then find something to distract yourself from itching (do your homework, watch a TV show, follow me on Twitter, scratch somewhere that doesn’t itch, read The Patriot, etc.)

Remember kids, scratching your mosquito bites may feel good at the time but will only increase the pain. If you feel you absolutely must itch your bites, try slapping them instead to show them who is boss without potentially making your skin bleed or scar.

Kaley Martin is an Opinion Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.